The invention relates to deflectable micromechanical elements. In this connection, the deflection can take place in translation along an axis, but also by pivoting around an axis. On a translatory deflection, the respective axis is in particular aligned orthogonally to the plane of the micromechanical element. The deflection can also take place in an oscillating manner. Drive concepts known per se such as electrostatic drive concepts can be used for the deflection.
With the last-named elements, also called translation oscillators, they are suspended at springs and should not be inclined on the translatory deflection. Straight or folded bending springs are used for the springs. In this connection, a high stiffness for lateral forces, the resistance to tensile forces and torsional moments should be high. In contrast to this, it is desired to use springs which are soft in the direction of deflection.
As a rule, such elements with suspension are made in planar technology from a common substrate. In this connection, they are substantially etched two-dimensionally from a layer.
It is known of straight bending springs that the tensile force influence becomes more important with large deflections in them. Accordingly, the spring constant increases with a higher deflection. Such bending springs thus have a progressive spring characteristic. The length of such bending springs is increased to reduce this effect, which increases the required construction size.
Alternatively, this can also be achieved by folding or by forming so-called serpentine springs. However, such springs bend or twist easily.
Some parameters are available to improve the suspension with respect to its spring effect. It is, however, only possible with difficulty to select or design a spring or a spring system which is sufficiently soft in the deflection direction, but is resistant toward influences of lateral force, tensile force or torque in other axial directions. In this connection, the low thickness of the useful substrate material from which such elements are made by etching also has an aggravating effect.
With suspensions of known solutions, different spring elements are in particular used with micromechanical elements which are deflectable in translation. They are, for example, bar springs (four-spring elements, eight-spring elements, cross-spring elements, etc.), angular springs, meandering springs or serpentine springs.
However, all these known solutions have disadvantages. This relates to a high effort and/or expense for the construction and manufacture, to the insufficient stiffness in certain axial directions or toward torques as well as to an unwanted non-linearity of the spring characteristic.